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Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! For now, I’ve returned from my Joiyssey to participate in the "revolution":I’ve been at many Occupy sites across the country:1st in D.C. Freedom Plaza I faced & challenged racism/white supremacy, sexism/patriarchy, classism, heterosexism & eventually was kicked off the island; then I offered workshops as I drove to CA:“Anti-Racism Geared for White Occupiers”; “NO DRONES” "Successes and Pitfalls of OWS"

Monday, November 08, 2010

I'm a WRITER! YEAH!!!!

I’m a writer! Now I can devote as many hours a day as I want to writing if I want. I will tell people that’s what I am when they ask, especially the federales – I’m writing a travel guide for older womyn travel by themselves.

I had intended to be a writer since I was about 12. I think I wrote about it previously.

Then I got pregnant at 18 years old, delivered my baby at 19 1/2, and it wasn't until many, many years later, walking down the street, I remembered - oh yah, right, I was going to be a writer.

I once had a roommate who wrote every day from 10am until 2pm. She would not let anyone talk to her, disturb her, interrupt her. At the time, I found it quite annoying and even irritating. I couldn't understand how she could arrange her life to commit so much time to writing.

I was fighting envy. I had a child to support.

Many, many, many more years later, and a LONG time after I have no more children to support, here I am finally, able and about to spend several hours a day of my life writing.

The nite before...

I have often wished I had a better camera but tonite I wish I am a fabulous artist who can swiftly capture the stunning, intense beauty of dusk and night beginning in the desert.

Many of the english information plaques here talk about how surprising it is that ancient people sought to live in the desert and even more surprising that they survived - until white men came, that is (my addition of course - they love to leave out those minor details...) I think it is surprising how few seek to live in this gorgeous desert now.

Today I spend exploring Organ Pipes Cactus National Monument.

Before arriving at the park, there are several places along route 85 to pull over and spend the nite. Of course they are located at the edge of the Barry Goldwater Airforce base – Barry fuckin Goldwater of all people. What, did he buy the land for the military or what?

After going thru Ajo – named after the Ajo Mountain Range – and a teeny ‘town’ called Why, the huge National Park begins.

There are 2 camp grounds in the park – one ‘primitive’, i.e. no running water and at the base of the mountains; the other ‘modern’, i.e. running water and close to the visitor's center.

And there are several hiking trails and two driving loops.

I’m camping at the ‘primitive’ site, and not only because it’s $4 cheaper. I am the only human being here – that I know of. It is so very peaceful and beautiful. And especially no (other) tourists.

When the sun is setting, I attempt to take still pictures with the video camera Tessie lent me. My digital camera bit the dust two weeks before I left Berkeley… grrrr.

I’ll just have to attempt to paint with words. The sky is that eerie dark but light black when the sunshine is fading. There are two very black clouds back-lighted by the horizon, that have taken on the shape of a half cup of splattered cooking oil. The reds are brilliant and snuggle smoothly around the black clouds while stretching across the horizon.

The moon appears, a brilliant half circle ‘c’ of light hanging over the silhouette of a huge three-armed saguaro reaching to welcome the dusk and bless me.

I cook steamed eggplant and garlic, cut up the watermelon in half the rind, and make a pot of a hearty miso soup. I throw in a couple handfuls of rice and after that boils, another couple handfuls of lentils before adding veggies and miso.

I need to cook the cauliflower, spinach and black mushrooms. And I need to use up the tofu, now that the baby’s gone.

I chop cilantro and green onion. What I don’t use, I’ll dry out so it won’t spoil.

Moths are getting into the camper so I try to replace the weather stripping around the door but it won’t stick to anything but my fingers. I’ve had the roll forever and the glue has seeped out on all sides.

Plus the screen has tears in it – a by-product of a sale I did at Janet’s, rushing too much to pack up what didn't sell and something I threw into the camper, tore the screen…grrr. I guess I better try to get new screen tomorrow and replace the holy one.

I intend to get up as early as I can tomorrow and head across the border. The weather is so very pleasant, although it might get hotter as I travel farther south. It is still pleasant out.

drone siting sonora desert...

I'm sick but not surprised - next to barry goldwater here - as I drive through the lonely, beautiful desert dirt road, I look up and see not one, but two drones maneuvering across the desert, thru the valley in front of me, and disappearing in between the mountain ranges.

Dawn

The soft desert dawn is something you shouldn't miss. The beautiful pale purples, whispers of pink, sighs of blue misting over sharp mountains and flat stretches of sand, cacti, pencil trees span the sky to welcome the sun.

I begin my day looking and finding water for my tanks, a slight decline to park my truck on so I can change my veggie fuel filters before entering Mexico, filling my diesel tank with diesel, cleaning out my cab.

Now I have arrived in Ajo, a sleepy little town that begins with crumbling little pale trailers and what looks like those pre-fab stark small houses, until the town square where the same houses sit but painted with bright colors and desert plants growing out front.

I stop at the desert visitor's center, find out about the national park, and buy desert books for Daboo.

I am ready to cross the border. I will be open to spending time at the desert before entering Mexico though. I probably won't be back this way again in my life. The Sonora desert. I've already passed the prerequisite military installation, stopped at the rest stop that has the plaque with pictures and rhetoric about the necessity of testing bombs - and why not use the desert until we test them on people - for our democracy and country.

I have found the coffee shop that doesn't have anything organic - although the owner is open to buying some organics to have on hand for folks (like me) who ask for it - but has internet so I'm blogging quickly before it gets too late so I can enjoy this national park.

About Me

i'm a 63 yr old (with a golden age pass to get into national parks FREE) jewish lesbian anti-racist mother - and now grandmother too - striving radical womonist/feminist; daughter & granddaughter of survivors of the holocaust, mother of a young amazon healer & amazing human being, lover of wimmin & student of conscious living............even tho i am the one actually driving the truck, i could not even head out from home if it were not for the support of many, many, many wimmin (and several men as well). i am now going from Occupy to Occupy, offering workshops on "Racism Awareness geared for White Occupiers", "NO DRONES", and any other that is needed. if you want to help support this journey, please click the "Make a Donation" link below- it's secure!